In Refection:

Overall my experience in Milan was worlds away from my expectations. I was shocked in many ways as well as pleasantly surprised by things like color, texture, working culture, and attitude. While I have traveled many times before, this was a new European experience for me being a student in a big city. I remember being on the Malpensa Express train riding into Milan on the first night and, while my story of arrival is a whole other issue, I was so consumed by the way the city seemed to change as the train got closer and closer to Cadorna. Looking out the window I was honestly disappointed by the run down buildings and graffiti everywhere. It was not the picture of an Italian countryside that one would imagine however, within the next couple of days, these are the things I grew to love. Throughout my time here when people ask me what my favorite part about Milan is I respond by talking about the rich colors and lights that bounce off buildings and create entire atmospheres of that color and how things like this changed at different times of the day. I also loved the view from my apartments window. I loved the way I could look through the slit in the curtain each morning from my bed and see the big yellow building across the street. I loved how I could hear the activity from the bustling city below and neighboring apartments across the alleyway. While I have never considered myself a big city girl I think my perspective on what a “big city” can be has been completely flipped upside down. The beauty of Milan is that there is not only such an extensive history and large number of old architectural gems but also that within the borders of this old city there is a new, massive industry living inside. I am shocked by the fact that the majority of Italy’s business is run directly through Milan. This is one big reason that Milan has such a different feeling culture than many other cities and towns in Italy. People in Milan have a job and a passion and work hard to get it done. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity on this trip to meet so many designers that are doing whatever it takes to show the world the power of good design. There were many trips and excursions like Budapest and Venice that took my breath away. I loved the idea of just exploring new places and wandering aimlessly to stumble upon unexpected beauties and this is something that never failed to fill me with inspiration. While there were lots of things I did on this trip that I was not excited about and not very interested in, there were a handful that outweighed the rest and proved to give me, as a designer, ample things to look forward to and work towards. Not to mention the few things that I would love to look into and reach out to for a potential internship or involvement in the future! Milan does not seem far from home for me and it has been a joy getting to live here.

Kate.

Today we went to Artemide Factory and learned about their production process and the values that shape it. We took a van/ bus to Pregnana Milanese and I slept all the way there. Then, after arriving we were greeted with little candies and waters that we, of course, devoured. Artemide was “born in Italy in 1959”. It consists of worldwide designers, distribution, and awareness. All products are made in Europe and thoroughly tested before shipment. They have interest in new technologies which involves a lot of engineering and brainstorming. However, they also think about traditional arts and worldwide awareness. THis is where their slogan “the human light” comes from. I thought it was fascinating to see the way the workers interacted with each other and with the machinery. I have never seen such giant laser cutters in my life! I also loved getting to put a strip of their packing tape in my sketchbook! The packing tape has great typography and bold colors. I love the way the serifs and san serifs balance and the weight of the typefaces. I also love that the tape is colored brown so that when it is overlapped, you still see the integrity of the design rather than having it chaotically overlap.

I have never been so excited to see a friend in my life!

Today we was another early morning. We met Gulia at Cadorna station at 7:30am and caught a ‘bus’ (just a big van with weird seats) out to Omegna, Italy. Omegna is a smaller town about an hour and a half outside of Milan in which there is a BEAUTIFUL lake and STUNNING design factory. We had a private tour of the Alessi Design Factory during which they told us about their “formula for success” and gave us a long overview of the companies history. They also let us go up to their archives and look around at all the prototypes and iterations of very famous products and renowned designers. It was AMAZING! We got to see right before our eyes the way these designers worked through problems and came up with solutions and how they approach their work. We focused on the design of Alessi’s french press coffee maker and they even had a vending machine that dispensed little espressos! After the archives we got to go to the showroom and look around and I even bought some things!

Formula for success: SMI + CL + F + P = SSS

Sensory Memory Imaginary: It must be pleasant to senses and have a grip on memory, imagination, and unconsciousness. It must create emotion and answer the need of creativity. All in all it must be very personal.

Communication Language: It gives status or style and is trendy. Must be very relational and answer a social need.

Function: It does good and simplifies work. Practical, functional, easy to use and easy to clean!

Price: Must compare well to other design prices but still give a price for the high value of the design.

“Alessi is a translator from a concept to an object”